Sennheiser Game Zero Review 2020 – The Gamer’s Choice

The Sennheiser Game Zero headset can obviously be a good addition to your gaming setup. It is designed to be extremely comfortable for long hours of gameplay. It is also perfect for carrying around because of its light weight and folding ear cups. It comes in two colors and it is made by Sennheiser – a leader in the market for headphones and audiophile devices. Let’s take a deeper look and see what it has to offer.

Sennheiser Game Zero Review 2020

Design And Features

The design of the Sennheiser is less monstrous than that of the ROG 7.1 Centurion, for example, but it still has an obvious gaming design. An advantage is the choice of colors you can get. Most of the headsets on the market are either black or some crazy neon combination but not the Game Zero. This particular headset lets you choose from black with red accents and white with red accents. What is more, Sennheiser has thought of portability when designing this device – the headband is flexible, the ear pads can be folded and it also comes with a carrying case so you can transport it everywhere without worrying whether it will break or fit in the bags.

The ear pads cover your ear completely, isolating any noise from outside so that you can immerse in the game. They are made of thick leatherette and triple-layered memory foam ensuring breathability and comfort. An advantage of the Game Zero headset is that it weighs 150g less than the ROG 7.1 Centurion, which means that your head won’t struggle to balance the weight after a whole day of playing or listening to music. The Sennheiser has a volume control wheel on one of the ear cups in order for you to control the sound quickly without distracting yourself from the game. In comparison with the ROG 7.1 Centurion headset, the Sennheiser does not come with an audio control box, at least not included in the price. They sell a separate device, a very good one indeed, but it costs a lot of money and we can’t truly recommend it since the Game Zero is no budget headset either. The GSX1000 is a very small and negligible black square box but when you connect the Game Zero to it quickly comes to life – you can select all kinds of adjustments and sound improvements – 7.1 surround sound, equalizer, sidetone and more – all within the reach of your finger.

The Zero has two 3.5 mm jacks. Yes, it is wired, but on the other side, the cable can be taken off and stored in the case. The microphone is a bit too obvious, despite the fact that it can be moved out of the way. The performance is excellent. It removes any background noise and delivers crystal-clear voice, so you can communicate clearly with your teammates while attacking the next base in Battlefield.

Sound Performance

You have to expect amazing sound from a headset made by Sennheiser. They are one of the pioneers when it comes to high-end quality headphones to satisfy every audiophile’s taste. We are quite certain that the game zero will sound amazing with music and it doesn’t disappoint. Audio clarity is perfect with crisp highs, mellow, but present mids and a very good bass. The soundstage is massive and it is probably the best of all purely gaming headsets on the market.

But what about gaming performance and surround sound?

We tested them with Battlefield and CS:GO. Both have excellent audio positioning and plenty of scenarios where a good surround sound can be tested. The Game Zero updated version comes with 50-ohm drivers compared to the 150 ohms older version which needed a decent amp if you wanted anything loud to listen to. The Game Zero can be driven even by a motherboard audio so there are no issues with loudness and volume control.

The gaming performance is impressive. You can hear every tank, every chopper, and vehicles approaching left and right in Battlefield. Steps, shots direction and all that is no problem – easy to orientate where they are coming from and a very accurate sense of direction. The Game Zero virtual surround impresses. OK, it is not in the league of true surround like the ROG Strix 7.1, for example, but it is probably one of the best virtual surround headsets we’ve heard so far. So good that it made our best headset of 2020 list.

The Zero sounds a bit muffled and quiet in low volume, but you crank it up a notch the headset comes to life. It seems that the mids and the highs are a bit muted at low volume but once you turn it up the cans come to life.

The extra amp that Sennheiser wants you to purchase – the GSX1000 improves surround over most sound cards, but keep in mind that it is quite expensive and you can get a really good USB DAC for a third of the price.

The microphone is excellent – clear and loud. We tested it with TeamSpeak and people even complimented us on the clarity of communication. It is a very good mic and one of the best gaming headsets microphones we experienced up to date.

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Review Overall

Overall, the sound the Game Zero produces is great with a few remarks. It shows excellent results with music, most games and voice communication. Something to expect from a Sennheiser as I mentioned it before. Bass is good, mids are presents and highs are crisp and clear. The mic is good, if not the best gaming mic we tested so far. There are a few downsides though – the sound is muffled at low volume and some people don’t like to crank it up, I included. The price is steep, especially if you add the GSX1000 amp. Without it the headset is good, but with it, it shines. It delivers almost a true surround experience. Whether that’s worth the money over cheaper competitor only you can decide. If you’re looking for something more substantial in terms of performance or features or looking for a wireless headset, you can check out our TabbloidX headset buying guide.